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MEDFORD POLICE Doyle claims false arrest Former city attorney sues, saying he was handcuffed, denied lawyer By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jul. 8, 2016 @ 12:01 am By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jul. 8, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> A retired city attorney is suing the city of Medford and two police officers, saying he was unlawfully detained, injured and denied rights following a traffic stop and arrest that was never prosecuted. Ronald Lee Doyle, 67, of Ashland, who had worked for the city of Medford for more than two decades before retiring as city attorney in 2005, claims he was denied access to an attorney, forced to provide a urine sample under a falsely obtained search warrant, and wrongfully lodged in detox and at jail for an "unreasonable amount of time" after a traffic stop on Dec. 5, 2014, according to documents filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Medford. Doyle is seeking a jury trial against the city and two Medford police officers individually for damages alleging injury and humiliation. He claims Officer Paul Mellgren escalated an investigation that Doyle was driving while impaired even after a Breathalyzer result showed him well below the legal limit. Doyle claims he suffered nerve damage to his left arm after he was handcuffed for more than three hours that evening, despite alerting Mellgren he has shoulder injuries. Doyle was held at the Jackson County Jail for more than eight hours before his release early the next morning. Medford police Chief Randy Sparacino said he couldn't comment about the case because it involves an open civil matter. City Attorney Lori Cooper said the city received a copy of the complaint Thursday. "We're reviewing it," Cooper said. According to a copy of Doyle's police report obtained by the Mail Tribune, Mellgren observed Doyle pulling out of the Trophy Club parking lot in his Honda Ridgeline truck at about 11 p.m. and making an "improper right turn" into the middle lane of South Central Avenue. After stopping Doyle in the Wells Fargo parking lot on South Riverside Avenue, Mellgren said he smelled an "obvious" amount of alcohol and that Doyle's eyes were "watery" and "bloodshot," according to the police report. When asked how much alcohol he'd consumed that night, Doyle said he hadn't had any, the report states. Doyle introduced himself to Mellgren as the former city attorney while he fished for his insurance information. When Mellgren asked him to step out of the vehicle, Doyle refused, telling Mellgren he was pulled over for a "silly" reason and had "prosecuted those cases for 18 years," according to the report. Doyle challenged Mellgren to either "arrest me now, or give me my license back," the report states. After Doyle declined a standardized field sobriety test, Mellgren took him into custody and transported him to the Moore detoxification center, where Doyle blew .01 into a Breathalyzer, well below the .08 legal limit, according to the report. Doyle said in his complaint that he refused examination by Medford Officer Patrick Dennis, a drug recognition expert. Dennis assisted Mellgren at detox and is also named in the suit on allegations of excessive force, false arrest and imprisonment and illegal search and seizure. Doyle refused a urine test and asked for a lawyer, the police report states. He was then transported to Providence Medford Medical Center, where he consented to providing a urine sample after he was told by hospital staff they would place a catheter in him if he didn't. Doyle alleges Mellgren refused Doyle's request to speak with a lawyer. "We're in the investigation stage — there is no right to an attorney," Mellgren told Doyle, according to the complaint. Mellgren said in his report he told Doyle he was no longer entitled to a phone call because Doyle had already taken a breath test and refused the urine sample. Doyle then demanded Mellgren call then-police Chief Tim George and Mellgren's father, former Medford police Chief Eric Mellgren, the report states. In the report, Mellgren said he "elected against" contacting George or his father "since I am an adult." The complaint alleges that Mellgren obtained the search warrant for Doyle's urine sample under false pretenses. Mellgren stated at the time of Doyle's arrest that he had probable cause to believe he'd find controlled substances in Doyle's urine, according to Doyle's complaint. But Mellgren later testified at a Driver and Motor Vehicle Services hearing regarding Doyle's driver-license suspension that he didn't believe Doyle was under the influence of a controlled substance, inhalant or alcohol, Doyle's complaint alleges. Mellgren took Doyle to jail, where he was lodged. At about 2 a.m., a jail deputy told Doyle he could be released after he blew .04 or lower, the complaint states. When Doyle blew zero shortly thereafter, the jailer said Medford police ordered him held, the complaint alleges. After he was released the next morning, Doyle went to the emergency room at Providence Medford Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with ulnar neuropathy in his left arm and prescribed methylprednisolone, an anti-inflammation steroid. He was instructed to see a neurologist, who determined Doyle had suffered severe ulnar nerve damage to his left arm, the complaint states. The Jackson County District Attorney's Office never prosecuted the case, Doyle's complaint states, and there's no mention of Doyle's arrest in circuit court records. Doyle declined to speak about the case, referring comments to his lawyer Marianne Dugan of Eugene, who did not immediately return a message Thursday. In 2008, Doyle sued the city of Medford claiming he was entitled to “bridge” health insurance until he turned 65 after taking early retirement. Though Doyle initially won his case in Jackson County Circuit Court, it was overturned by the Oregon Court of Appeals in 2014. Doyle is still fighting the case in circuit court, according to court records. Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat. By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat MailTribune.com By Nick Morgan Mail Tribune Follow @@mtcrimebeat Posted Jul. 8, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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